The ‘INTERNATIONAL CHIROPRACTIC PEDIATRIC ASSOCIATION’ (ICPA) is, according to their website, ‘a nonprofit organization whose mission is to advance chiropractic by establishing evidence informed practice, supporting excellence in professional skills and delivering educational resources to the public. It fulfills this mission by engaging and serving family chiropractors worldwide through research, training and public education.’
It fulfils its mission by, amongst other things, tweeting links to other pro-chiropractic activities. It is via such a tweet that I recently found the Pathways to Family Wellness (PFW). This is a quarterly print and digital magazine whose mission is to support you and your family’s quest for wellness.
This sounds exciting, I thought, and decided to have a closer look. I found that, according to its website, the magazine ‘collaborates with consciousness leaders, cutting-edge scientists and researchers, families on their conscious path, holistic practitioners and dynamic non-profit organizations to bring the most current insights into wellness to our readers.’
The Executive Editor and Publisher of PFW is Dr. Jeanne Ohm. She has ‘practiced family wellness care since 1981 with her husband, Dr. Tom. They have six children who were all born at home and are living the chiropractic family wellness lifestyle. Ohm is an instructor, author, and innovator. Her passion is: training DC’s with specific techniques for care in pregnancy, birth & infancy, forming national alliances for chiropractors with like-minded perinatal practitioners, empowering mothers to make informed choices, and offering pertinent patient educational materials.’
My suspicion that this is an outlet of chiropractic nonsense is confirmed as I read an article by Bobby Doscher, D.C., N.D. on the subject of chiropractic treatment for children with neurological problems. The article itself is merely promotional and therefore largely irrelevant. But one short passage is interesting nevertheless, I thought:
Chiropractic Based on Scientific Fact
Since its beginning, chiropractic has been based on the scientific fact that the nervous system controls the function of every cell, tissue, organ and system of your body. While the brain is protected by the skull, the spinal cord is more vulnerable, covered by 24 moving vertebrae. When these bones lose their normal motion or position, they can irritate the nervous system. This disrupts the function of the tissues or organs these nerves control; this is called vertebral subluxation complex.
I thought this was as revealing as it was hilarious. Since such nonsensical notions are ubiquitous in the chiropractic literature, I am tempted to conclude that most chiropractors believe this sort of thing themselves. This makes them perhaps more honest but also more of a threat: sincere conviction renders a quack not less but more dangerous.
5 Responses to Chiropractic: sincerity renders quacks not less but more dangerous
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For those who have made a substantial investment in learning their “profession”, it is unlikely that they will easily admit that they have been conned. It is like purchasing a painting of questionable provenance. The more one pays the less likely they are to doubt the authenticity. That does not, however, make the forgery real however pleasing it might be.
I have experienced multiple ” cases” of Chiropractic voodoo. The more striking example is one where a patient told me of seeking Chiropractic treatment for his shoulder pain. The patient related that the Chiropractic assistant placed her hand on his painful shoulder while the Chiropractor applied treatment to the assistant’s shoulder…ostensibly so the positive healing energy would be transferred to the shoulder through “energy” waves. Of course, there was no effect on the patient’s shoulder pain. This is akin to the instances where nurses reportedly wave their hands over patients to
“heal” them. More VooDoo (? DooDoo).
I have been blocked by Jeanne Ohm on Twitter! Hmm I must be doing something right! 😉
Edzard,
I thought the first damaging clue might have been this; “INTERNATIONAL CHIROPRACTIC PEDIATRIC ASSOCIATION’ (ICPA”. Since it is clear that kids (or anyone) do not need this form of witchcraft, the image is clear of more chiropractic pseudo-scientific mumbo-jumbo attempting to masquerade as valid healthcare.
Then, it goes downhill with this; “advance chiropractic by establishing evidence informed practice”. If it was evidenced-based practice, there wouldn’t be any chiropractic. You have definitely found little to no evidence of any worth in chiropractic.
Ohm is amazing in this video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e2msxFCCRnY); amazing as in she thinks chiropractic needs to be involved in a child “from the moment of conception”. It really is a tawdry lot of nonsense but you need to hear to understand how deluded she is. What next for her chiropractic endeavours; prising the husband off the wife as soon as the sperm is deposited so that she can give chiropractic care to the expectant mother, to ensure the proper development of the child?
“We don’t charge for missed appointments, but please let us know if your not going to make your appointment so we can give that time slot to another practice member.”
She can’t spell either, but……..
“You can keep a credit card on file with us if you would like. This streamlines your checkout process and is handy for our more frequent practice members.”
she will get your cash as quickly as she can.
True. Many patients, after all, seek CAMists, because they think real medicine does not care to explain how the treatments work. These people perceive doctors as cool and indifferent.